2013 (Full Year) France: Best-Selling Car Models

The Renault Clio was the top-selling car model in France in 2013 while the VW Polo remained the favorite imported car model of the French.

The Renault Clio was again the most popular car model in France in 2013. The Peugeot 208 and Citroen C3 were also selling well in a still shrinking French passenger vehicle market. The Volkswagen Polo was the best-selling foreign-branded car model and the only non-French owned car model on the top-ten list of best-selling cars in France in 2013.

Top 20 Best-Selling Car Models in France in 2013 (Full Year)

The twenty most popular car models in France according to new passenger vehicle registration statistics released by the CCFA were as follows:

Position 2013

Position 2012

Car Make & Model

Cars sold in 2013

1

1

Renault Clio IV

103’172

2

5

Peugeot 208

90’484

3

3

Citroen C3 II

53’376

4

New

Renault Scenic III

50’968

5

2

Renault Megane III

43’070

6

16

Dacia Sandero

42’841

7

New

Renault Captur

39’629

8

8

Volkswagen Polo

39’068

9

10

Renault Twingo II

39’032

10

9

Peugeot 3008

38’427

11

4

Citroen C4 II

36’244

12

-11

Volkswagen Golf VII

35’148

13

19

Toyota Yaris

29’207

14

14

Nissan Qashqai

28’379

15

New

Peugeot 2008

28’012

16

6

Peugeot 207 / 206+

26’146

17

13

Ford Fiesta

26’118

18

12

Dacia Duster

25’879

19

7

Peugeot 308

25’418

20

18

Citroen DS3

23’484

Source: CCFA / AA Data

Best-Selling Car Models in France in 2013 (Full Year)

The Renault Clio IV remained the most popular car model in France in 2013. Although comfortably ahead of the competition, Renault sold 15,000 fewer Clios in France in 2013 than a year before and market share slipped from 6.3% to 5.8%.

In its first full year on the market, the Peugeot 208 took second place, up from 5th last year, and selling 24,000 cars more than in 2012. The Citroen C3 maintained third place.

Last year’s second most popular car model in France, the Renault Megane, slipped to 5th place this year, as Megane and Scenic sales are now listed separately. Other models such as the Citroen C3 and C4, similarly have their Picasso derivatives listed separately from 2013 onwards.

The Dacia Sandero improved ten places to sixth this year. Dacia, Renault’s budget brand mostly manufactured in Romania, saw sales grow by 11% in 2013 – the strongest improvement of any major car brand in France in 2013.

The Renault Captur, a new car launched during 2013, took 7th place this year. The VW Polo maintained its position as France’s favorite imported car model, although unit sales slipped by more than 10%.

The Renault Twingo improved one position at the expense of the Peugeot 3008 that slipped one place from a year ago.

The VW Golf VII, Europe’s favorite car model, was the 12th most popular car in France in 2013. The Golf would have been in 7th place if Golf VI sales were added.

Similarly, the Peugeot 308, which slipped from 7th last year to 19th would have been on the top-ten list if the new Peugeot 308 II sales were added. The 207 has now been largely replaced by the 208.